I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for supporting location services (LCS) for user equipments (UEs).
II. Background
It is often desirable, and sometimes necessary, to know the location of a UE, e.g., a cellular phone. The terms “location” and “position” are synonymous and are used interchangeably herein. For example, an LCS client may desire to know the location of the UE and may communicate with a location center in order to request the location of the UE. The location center and the UE may then exchange messages, as necessary, to obtain a location estimate for the UE. The location center may then return the location estimate to the LCS client.
A wireless network may support location services and positioning. Positioning refers to a functionality that determines a geographical location of a target UE. Location services refer to any services based on or related to location information, which may include any information related to the location of a UE, e.g., measurements, a location estimate, etc.
The wireless network may implement a control plane solution or a user plane solution to support location services and positioning. In a control plane solution, messages supporting location services and positioning may be carried as part of signaling transferred between various network entities, typically with network-specific protocols, interfaces, and signaling messages. In a user plane solution, messages supporting location services and positioning may be carried as part of data transferred between various network entities, typically with standard data protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP). A control plane solution may be preferred since it may enable network-based positioning, which may not be supported by a user plane solution. Furthermore, a control plane solution may be more compatible with existing solutions, may be usable with any UE, and may be more reliable and/or more accurate.